


More Than Just A Nobody

by Adi_Beau



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2020-10-04 16:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20473880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adi_Beau/pseuds/Adi_Beau
Summary: While Sora's off sleeping, Riku is on a mission to get his friend back. But what happens when he accidentally runs into the person he's supposed to be watching in secret and what does he do when he finds himself becoming friends with this person who's supposed to give up on their own existence just for Sora to wake up?





	1. Chapter 1

A lot happened while Sora was asleep.

For one, I found myself unable to go without a blindfold for long without looking like… Him. Though, it was kinda easy to adapt to after a while. While I couldn’t exactly see things the way others might, I was kinda able to.. Sense things? If that makes sense? While everything around me was dark, I could still sort of see shapes and figures in outlines. For example, I couldn’t see exact details like faces or anything like that, but I could see the rough form of someone enough to be able to recognize them if I was around them enough.

How was this possible, one might ask? I dunno. No one else really seemed to have a very solid answer because no one else went through this. Later down the line, Mickey seemed to think it had something to do with my ability to work with darkness and even then, he didn’t seem 100% sure about his own theory.

I also learned that during this time, everyone back home on the islands would be unable to remember Sora… His parents would have no idea who he is. Kairi would have no memory of him at all. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie would all go on about their days as if Sora never even existed. It was… Upsetting to say the least. It meant he could go back to a house where all of his things were gone. It meant that, for about a year, not one person from his own home wondered where he was.

And it also meant that I was alone in my journey to get him back. Because even if Kairi knew who I was… There was no way I’d be able to ask her for help with the excuse “Uh yeah, you used to know him and maybe you guys liked each other? But no one knows who he is, you just have to trust me, that dark brooding guy from your school who wears blindfolds and sometimes transforms into a giant beefcake of a man with scary eyes.” Yeah, that would go over smoothly, I’m sure.

Though, I guess I wasn’t completely alone. At some point, I met a man named DiZ. We met at a time before I started using my blindfold, so I only met with him while in that form. He promised me a way to see Sora again. So I worked alongside him and did whatever he asked of me. Well, for the most part anyways. He said that before we could do anything else, we had to find “Sora’s Nobody.”

And that’s how I met Roxas.

I spent maybe weeks tailing him, learning about him and the people he worked with. He was a part of this organization of “Nobodies.” Nobodies were apparently beings that take shape from the empty husk a person leaves behind when darkness consumes their hearts. Though, if DiZ hadn’t told me who he was, I wouldn’t have immediately guessed that Roxas was a part of Sora. I’ve taken off my blindfold enough times to get a good enough idea of what he looks like.And sure, they had the same eyes, I guess, but… That was it. That was the only thing connecting them. Other than that, they seemed like two completely different people.

When we met, it was a complete accident. Well, it was on my part, anyways. I thought I was careful and discreet enough but that apparently wasn’t the case.

I was watching him start to leave back to his own world after taking out some heartless in Twilight Town when, suddenly, the corridor of darkness in front of him closed up. He just stood there for a second before calling out, “CAN YOU PLEASE QUIT STARING AT ME? IT’S CREEPING ME OUT.”

“.....” I stood out from behind the wall I’d been using as a cover as he turned to face me.

“Who are you?! Why are you dressed like us?”

“......” How was I supposed to answer that? Even if I told the truth, how much could I say without scaring him off? I decided not to answer.

“....” He groaned. “Look, I didn’t say anything last time because I figured you were just in the same place at the same time. But clearly, that’s not the case. Why are you following me around?”

“....”

He started walking over to me. “HEY! Can you at least say something?! You’re getting on my nerves!”

“... Hi,” was all I could think to say. Smooth, Riku. Real smooth.

“... Who are you?” he asked again.

“... I’m no one important,” I said. “Just someone who moves through the shadows like you.”

“I meant your name!”

“... What about you?” I deflected. “Who are you? Do you remember your true name?”

“...” He gasped, taking a step back for a moment. I don’t know why this threw him off, but it did. He relaxed after a moment of silence. “... If you’re asking about my life before the organization… I don’t remember it. I don’t remember what my name used to be. But it doesn’t matter. My name is Roxas. Now answer me already. Who are you?”

“...” At this point, it felt cruel to keep beating around the bush. And it’s not like there was any turning back now. “Riku,” I answered. “My name is Riku.”

He nodded. “Thank you. So, Riku, why are you following me?”

“... I can’t answer that.”

“Well, are you gonna stop?”

“... Probably not.”

“...” I could practically feel him glaring holes through my head at this point. This boy was a feisty one, for sure. “Look, if you’re gonna keep being difficult, I’m just gonna tell Xemnas about you and have someone else take care of you for me.”

“... Why haven’t you already?”

“... I don’t know… I just… I…” He took another step back. He was hesitating but there was a reason for it. I decided to press on.

“Just what?”

“J-just… I can handle it myself is all!”

“That’s it?”

“Y-yeah!”

“Really now?” I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, really now! Wait, I mean…”

I laughed.

“Quit mocking me!”

“But you’re making it too easy.”

“Whatever! I’m wasting my time here.” He turned away, a corridor of darkness forming as he stormed through it.

I had a feeling we’d meet like this again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas meets Riku again in Wonderland. The two have a little chat and it gets heated pretty quickly.

Roxas’s POV

I saw him again today.

I was in a world called Wonderland. It was a little weird to say the least. There were card people all around and I was trying to get through a huge hedge maze without getting caught by them which was… Harder than I’d like to admit. So hard in fact, that I kept finding myself stuck in a bunch of dead ends. I got some chests out of it, but it was kind of annoying.

It was during one of these many dead ends that I could feel someone watching me. I ignored it at first, but by the time I’d reached about three more, I was getting really agitated. I turned around and yelled.

“Riku, if that’s you, cut it out already!”

He stepped out, tilting his head to the side. I couldn’t see his eyes but I could tell he looked a little confused.

“How could you tell?” he asked.

“H-how could I, you’ve been staring at me for the past thirty minutes!”

“Technically, I can’t  _ stare  _ at you.”

“W-whatever! You’ve been stalking me and you’re not as sneaky as you think you are!”

He nodded. “If you say so…”

“Why are you even following me around?”

“Well…” He grinned widely, taking a few steps closer. “You looked so lost, it was kinda fun to watch.”

My eye twitched. “I really don’t like you.”

He laughed. “Want some help?”

“You… Know how to get out of here?”

He nodded. “I was visiting this world about a month ago for... different reasons.”

“Like what?”

He hesitated, looking off to the the side. He just… Stood there quietly. Like he didn’t know how to answer.

“... You really know your way around here?” I asked. “You’re not just messing with me?”

He turned to face me again with a nod. “Yeah. Do you… actually want my help?”

“At this rate, it’s gonna take me a year if I don’t.”

He nodded again, turning around to go around the hedge he stood by. “Come on, then. You might have to follow a bit further behind if you don’t wanna get caught, so try not to lose track.”

I frowned, walking towards him. “If you can do it blindfolded, I think I’ll be fine.” Now that I really thought about it, I wonder how he can watch me and keep up without even seeing me. I felt like I wouldn’t get an actual answer if I asked, though.

It took longer than I would have liked, but true to his word, Riku showed me the way through. I muttered a “thanks” before going to finish up my mission. I didn’t see him again until I was getting ready to return to the castle. I opened up a corridor and was stopped when I heard his voice from behind, making me jump and spin around to see him.

“You know, Roxas…”

“Kn-know what?!” I called out, clutching my chest. “D-don’t sneak up on me like that!”

His gaze travelled down to where my hand was. He stared at it for a moment. How did he know I was doing that? How did he seem to see things he shouldn’t? And why does he look so amused by it?

Riku shook his head. “Nothing… See you around.” He turned away to leave.

“... what are you exactly?”

“... What?”

“You can see things you shouldn’t be able to. You dress up like us even though you’re not in the Organization. You show up and follow me around and tease me, only to help me. Why? What exactly are you trying to do?”

“...” He looked down, clenching his fists. “... I’m just trying to see my friend again.”

“Your… friend?”

He nodded once again. “Something a Nobody wouldn’t understand, I guess.”

“Hey!” Excuse him! “I have friends, too!”

“Do you, now?” I could practically hear his smirk. “Tell me, what’s that like? Having friends with no actual hearts? Pretending to care about hollow people?”

“What gives you a right to say any of that!” I took a step towards him. “Axel and Xion aren’t hollow!”

“You sure about that?” He turned around again.

“... Maybe we aren’t the same as you. M-maybe we don’t have hearts… Maybe I don’t even remember what it was like to feel anything, but…” I moved closer, getting in his face now. “They’re my friends! They give me strength and… A-and they’re special to me! And I won’t just sit around and listen while you say rude things about them!”

Riku gasped, taking a step back. He quickly composed himself with another shake of his head. He cleared his throat. “If you insist…”

“If you’re done here, I’ll be going back to see them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally up!! I've been craving a lot of RikuRoku lately and I realized that if I wanna see more content of these two, I gotta write some of it myself.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading!! Comments are always appreciated but I know it's not the easiest to come up with them. ^^ Either way, I hope this is fun to read.
> 
> Also, full disclosure, I haven't played Days in a while. I only say this because I know the timeline of what worlds Roxas can go to at what time is probably gonna be kinda messed up. I don't have access to the game and this is a fic I write for fun, so it's not gonna be 100% accurate since it's already canon divergent. I hope you guys enjoy this anyways, though!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku doesn't really like Roxas's friend Axel. Roxas gets really defensive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna keep writing what I can because I need more RikuRoku content in this world.

Riku’s POV

I don’t really know what to make of Roxas… He’s kind of odd.

According to DiZ, Nobodies only act based on their memories. But he doesn’t have any to work with. He doesn’t remember what it feels like to get angry. To have friends. To find people precious to him. But he does it anyway. It doesn’t make any sense.

I haven’t told DiZ that I’ve been caught twice now. While I’m sure it wouldn’t be a big deal, it feels kinda like I shouldn’t. Besides, Roxas hasn’t told anyone about me, so… I’ll just keep quiet about it for now.

After our last encounter, I found myself wanting to see him again. I wasn’t sure if anything he said was true. I wasn’t sure how seriously to take it. But something about the way he talked… It reminded me of Sora. And it felt genuine.

I followed him around for a few more missions, but there wasn’t much of a chance to talk since he was accompanied by another, a girl in a hood. I didn’t really know what to make of her and trying to get a better look at her wouldn’t do me any good for now. Best to avoid being caught by the rest of the Organization if possible. They fought against heartless and traveled around worlds inspecting every little nook and cranny. She was apparently the one called “Xion.” I hadn’t seen Axel yet, but Roxas sure loved to talk about him.

Why does that annoy me?

I don’t really know if there’s a point in following them around like this. But there wasn’t a whole lot to do and DiZ was still working away trying to figure out a proper next step for us, so… At this point, why not?

It wasn’t until I made another trip to Twilight Town that I was able to find him on his own. He kinda just showed up to get rid of some Heartless and went up to the clocktower when he was done. I of course followed him up there. He let out a sigh.

“You’re kinda weird,” he said.

I made my way over to him, standing next to him and looking down at the ground so far below us. “... Isn’t it kinda dangerous to sit on the ledge like that?”

“Fighting Heartless that are constantly trying to kill you is a bit scarier,” he shot back.

“Fair enough…” I sat next to him. He held out a bar of ice cream.

“... Uh…” I stared at it.

“Just take it. Xion’s and Axel are kinda busy right now…” He refused to look my way as he said it.

I took the ice cream. “Thanks, I guess…” I took a bite. It was… Unnecessarily salty. Not my favorite, but a taste I could get used to, I guess.

We sat there in silence for a while, eating ice cream together. I noticed my stick said “Winner!” at the end of it. I’d have to find out what that was about later.

“Axel showed me this place,” Roxas said.

“Huh?”

“After my first big mission with him… He took me up here and got us some sea salt ice cream. He said it was ‘the icing on the cake.’” He smiled. It was… Genuine. Happy. Warm. For some reason, this made me uncomfortable. It made my hands feel clammy and my stomach twist.

“Axel…” I muttered, recalling my time in Castle Oblivion. “He’s the redhead, right?”

He looked up at me. “You know him?!”

“You could say that. I have seen him a couple of times.”

“Oh…” Why the look of disappointment?

I shook my head. “You talk about him like he’s so great… Why?”

Roxas turned away. I could practically hear him pouting as he replied. “He’s my friend,” he stated. “He’s the first friend I’ve ever had… And he’s always looking out for me.”

“That’s funny.”

“It is not!”

“After what I’ve seen, it is.”  
  
“What… what have you seen?”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. You probably shouldn’t get so close to him, though.”

“... If you can’t even tell me why, then I don’t have to listen to you.”

“If you say so…” It’s your funeral, after all.

“... Axel’s a really nice person,” he continued. “Him and Xion are all I really have. When I heard half of our members were gone, I…” He trailed off before continuing. “A-anyways, I don’t think it’s funny that he’s nice to me. He has been since I can remember.”

Since you can remember. How long ago is that for you?

“Well,” I said. “If you really think he’s all that great, you can believe that all you want.”

“Why are you so rude?”

“Because…” I said, standing up now. “He’s not someone to cling to.”

“And what about you?”

“... What?”

“What makes you any better than him?”

“I…”

“Just because you’re nothing like us doesn’t mean you get to look down on us.”

“... I feel like we only meet to argue with each other.” I sighed. “You don’t have to believe me. I just don’t like him.”

“Good thing you’re not his friend then, huh?”

Something about how he said it stung. As if he was indirectly saying, “I’m glad we aren’t friends.” I don’t know why it bothered me so much to think that. It just did.

So much for learning anything new from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the idea of Riku and Roxas just being incapable of properly getting along. Even if they're friends or dating each other, I imagine they still argue and tease each other a lot but would also fight anyone who decides to mess with the other.
> 
> There will be times where they actually do get along, of course. They can't hate each other. But since they only meet when Riku is following him alone, it's not like they're gonna immediately be the best of friends either.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading again!! I'm having a lot of fun writing these two!


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas’s POV

Just who did Riku think he was?!

Not only does he stalk me every time I leave for a mission, but he has the nerve to talk about Axel like he’s a bad guy without even telling me why! When did he even have a chance to see him? How does he know him? What if he’s just making stuff up to get under my skin?

Though… The way he clenched his fists… The way his jaw locked up… I don’t exactly know what it means, but it felt like he was mad just talking about him. What exactly did he have against him?

“You okay, Rox?” Axel asked, snapping me out my thoughts.

“Huh?”

“We’re kinda-- WOAH!” He dodged an attack from a bigger Heartless that swiped right at him. “We’re kinda in the middle of a fight and you’re over there spacing out! I could use a little help here, y’know!”

“S-sorry!”

It didn’t take long to finish our mission once I actually got back into it. We finished things up and went to the Clocktower at the end, like usual. Axel bought the ice cream this time. We sat quietly as we ate. Axel was the one to break the silence.

“So,” he started, looking my way. “You wanna talk about what has you so bothered?”

“What?”

“I mean… You looked pretty mad about somethin’. But none of your hits were connecting at all. It’s as if you were angry at something else entirely.”

“I…” I looked back at him for a moment before looking back down and taking a bite of ice cream to avoid having to answer. Even if I did wanna talk about it, what could I say? That I’d been talking to an imposter who thinks my friend is evil? Would that even make sense? And what would Axel do if he heard about Riku?

Why did I care about what happens to Riku?

“Rox… You’re makin’ a weird face.”

“Am I?” I shrugged. “Sorry…”

Axel sighed, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just… If there’s anything you need to talk about, you know you can come to me.”

“... Axel…”

“Hm?”

“If…” I tried to look at him, but I couldn’t hold my gaze for long. It quickly fell and I was looking down again, watching some kids run by, yelling something about “rotten eggs.” I sighed.

“C’mon now, spit it out.”

“Is there a reason for people to hate you?” It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to ask, but it was all I could think of. Axel didn’t say anything so I kept going. “I-if… If someone said they really don’t like you… Would there be a good reason for that?”

“....” Axel groaned. I picked my head back up to see him scratching at the back of his head. “Someone in the castle talkin’ about me?”

“... n-not exactly…”

Axel shook his head. “It’s fine if you don’t wanna rat them out, I get it. That being said…” He laughed. “Maybe? I’m not exactly a kid anymore, Roxas. We all do things we aren’t that happy with… and sometimes it gets under people’s skin. For example, if it was Demyx who said that, it’d probably be because I once switched his shampoo out for somethin’ that dried his hair out.” He shrugged. “Hate is kinda strong, though… Wonder what I did…”

He looked away then. He had a… weird look in his eyes. Like he was bothered by something. His mouth opened and closed, like he was stopping himself from saying anything else. His free hand was rubbing his arm as if his sleeve were bothering him. He took another bite of ice cream. I decided to stop staring at him.

Something was bothering Axel. There was something he wasn’t telling me. I can’t exactly say how I can tell, just that his body and the way it moves… makes me feel like he’s uncomfortable with something. But maybe I was just  _ trying  _ to see something out of place. I never thought to question Axel before. I always just listened to what he said and left it at that. The only reason I was watching him so closely now was because of Riku. And for all I know, Riku could just be messing with me.

Questioning everything didn’t seem like it was gonna help, though. So I dropped it. Xion eventually stopped by and joined us for ice cream. Some time after, we went back to the castle together, smiling and laughing like usual.

I really hope I can trust my friends.

\---

_ “Riku!!” I called out excitedly, running his way. “Riku, wait up!” He was walking away from me. I was smiling. It felt like I was trying to catch up with an old friend. _

_ He turned around and smiled at me. His expression was warm. His eyes were pretty. He was holding a wooden sword and standing with a hand on his hip. _

_ “Rikuuuuu!” I called out again, finally catching up, a little breathless. I leaned forward as I tried to catch my breath. _

_ “You’re too slow, Sora.” _

_ Sora. _

_ \--- _

I woke up, breathing heavily and looking around me. The island from before is gone. Riku isn’t anywhere to be seen. I looked down at my gloved hand. It closed into a fist.

“Who is… Sora?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this chapter!! I considered making it longer, but this seemed like a good place to leave off on for now.
> 
> I kinda like the idea of Roxas being able to remember things every once in a while with no context of what's going on. While it's technically Sora's memory, it's a memory of Riku, triggered by none other than Riku. To avoid bending the rules of KH too much, this won't be too common an occurance, but it may just happen more than once.
> 
> Anyways, I'll stop rambling for now. Feel free to let me know what you guys think!! Thank you so much for all the kudos this story has gotten so far!

**Author's Note:**

> Inside me are two wolves. One of them says I should stop starting new fics when I'm nowhere near finishing my other fics. The other says one can never have too many AUs. I am gay.
> 
> Tunglr memes aside, what's up? I felt like writing a fic for a ship I kinds like. Will it be updated all the time? I dunno man, I just write for fun. I had an idea and I decided to go for it. But I hope you liked chapter 1, though. Feel free to let me know what you thought! Comments are always appreciated.


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